The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 81
II - Arabia & its Inhabitants 81 people was merely confined to a few souls. Most of these people resided in the close proximity of Makkah. Zaid bin ‘Amr, the cousin of Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra , who was at terms with the Holy Prophet sa , was also among these people. However, he passed away prior to the advent of the Holy Prophet sa. Sa‘īd bin Zaid ra , who was a renowned companion of the Holy Prophet sa and was among the ‘Asharah Mubashshirah 1 , was his son. Zaid hated idols to such extent as he refused to even consume the food made as an offering to idols. He would say to others, “What are these things that you worship?” 2 In Ṭā’if, Umaiyyah bin Abī Ṣalt was a distinguished poet and respected chieftain who had also abandoned idolatry and had adopted the Ḥanīfī religion. Umaiyyah lived until after the Battle of Badr, but the acceptance of Islām was not in his destiny. At one occasion, the Holy Prophet sa listened to his monotheistic poetic couplets with great keenness and said with regret, “Umaiyyah was left without Islām at the brink of acceptance. ” 3 Another individual was Waraqah bin Nawfal, who was the cousin of Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra , and lived in Makkah. He had abandoned the practice of idolatry and later became Christian. He was well acquainted with the Torah and Gospel and possessed a deep study of them. When the angel of God descended upon the Holy Prophet sa , he attested to the truth of the Prophet sa , but died in that state. 4 Another individual named Qis bin Sā‘idah resided in the region of the Banū Bakr bin Wā’il and was an exceedingly eloquent and articulate speaker. Prior to his advent, the Holy Prophet sa also listened to an address delivered by him at the ‘Ukāẓ Carnival. Moreover, during the time of his prophethood, the Holy Prophet sa said, “At ‘Ukāẓ, I listened to an address delivered by Qis bin Sā‘idah, which he delivered while sitting on a camel” and the Prophet sa would extol his eloquence. Qis had also abandoned idol worship and had adopted a monotheistic ideology, but died prior to Islām. 5 Another man was ‘Uthmān bin Ḥuwairith who lived in Makkah. He had forsaken idolatry and become a follower of the Ḥanīfī religion. However, when he reached the court of Caesar in Rome, he converted to Christianity and also 1 The 10 Bearers of the Glad Tidings of Paradise (Publishers) 2 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Ḥadīthi Zaid bin ‘Amr, Ḥadīth No. 3826 3 Ash- Shamā’ilun-Nabawiyyah, By Tirmidhī, Bābu Mā Jā’a fī Ṣifati Kalāmi Rasūlillāhi sa , Ḥadīth 306, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, (1998) 4 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Bad’il-Waḥī, Bābu Kaifa Kāna Bad’ul-Waḥī, Ḥadīth No. 3 5 Al-Iṣābatu fī Tamīziṣ-Ṣaḥābah, Under Qis bin Sā’idah, Volume 5, pp. 412-413, Dārul-Kutubil- ‘Ilmiyyah, (2005)